Innocence
by irishwerewolves
Summary: Is Lord Voldemort really innocent, or is he trying to deceive the members of the wizarding world? read to find out. contains violence in later chapters. rated T for safety.
1. Innocence

_Chapter 1: Innocence?_

Lord Voldemort sat in his house, pondering why his brother would want to frame him. Now he had the whole wizarding world against him, wanting to kill him. Even scared of him. He looked at the scar on his left hip. That was where his brother was once attached to him. They had been born Siamese twins and he, Voldemort, the one everyone feared, was the only one who knew he had a brother. He and his friends had made up the nickname Voldemort when he was still a schoolboy, a young, innocent teenager, and he had kept it ever since, in memory of his friends, two great friends, who were killed by his brother during their last year at school. His brother, Jack, had somehow lied his way out of trouble, but at the same time, told them Voldemort had killed them. With his brother being identical to him, whenever Jack went out and killed people, witnesses thought it was him, Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, who had killed them. No matter how hard he tried to get people to believe him that he was innocent, even by helping those injured by his brother, people would still shun him away, even to the extent of threatening to kill him.

However, that all changed when he met one woman whom Jack had attempted to kill, but hadn't succeeded and Voldemort had stepped in just in time to see her slip into unconsciousness. He knew she would die if he didn't help her, so he cautiously, but gently picked her up into his arms and disapparated to his home, laying her gently on the spare bed and making sure she was comfortable, healing her wounds and other injuries, before staying by her side, day and night for three whole weeks. He didn't sleep in case her heart, which had been beating so slowly it seemed to have wanted to stop when he least expected it, actually stopped and she died.

One day however, just as Voldemort was about to check her heart beat again, she stirred. It was only minor, but she still stirred, and Voldemort knew she would be alright, and he would normally have then sent her to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries to recover, but there was something about this woman that stumped him. Something that made him unable to let her go so easily. He seemed to have grown somewhat attached to her in a way he had never felt before. He thought that, just maybe, he might be in love with her. As much as he tried to control his emotions and suppress his racing heart, he couldn't stop it from showing again.

_Maybe just one kiss should suppress the love._ He thought to himself, holding her hand gently.

_No! If you even just kiss her once, without her knowledge, you're technically forcing her! It's not in your nature to force people to do things against their will! That's your brother!_ Another voice had awoken inside his head. It was his conscience and he didn't want to disobey that. That _would_ make him like his brother, a liar, a thief, a murderer and a criminal in all ways. He looked at her and blinked, in case he had been seeing things. He thought he saw her eyelids flicker. Eventually she stirred again, slowly opening her eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked softly. Voldemort looked at her and smiled inwardly. She would be alright. Jack had failed to kill another person.

"You're in my house. I saved you." He said and she looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Aren't you … Lord Voldemort?" she asked him, sounding rather confused.

"Yes, but I'm not the kind of person people think I am." He explained softly, hoping she would understand, but he knew it was extremely unlikely, almost impossible.

"Then you _didn't_ kill those people?" she asked cautiously.

"No. I didn't kill them."

"What, so your identical twin brother that no one has seen is killing everyone?" she said sarcastically.

"Exactly. His name is Jack, and he's killing people everywhere he goes, but he lies his way out of it, making everyone think it's me. So in other words, he framed me." He explained nervously. "Please believe me. I'm not a murderer. I've never killed a single person in my entire life."

The woman hesitated before smiling shyly.

"I believe you." She said softly and Voldemort smiled, glad that he'd managed to convince one person of his innocence. "By the way, may I know the name of my saviour?" she asked him suddenly.

"Tom Riddle." He said. "But you can just call me Tom."

"I'm Leanna. Leanna Jest." She said, smiling at him.

Over the next couple of weeks, Leanna had stayed at Voldemort's house and it was slowly becoming clear that they were beginning to fall for each other. Voldemort was slowly beginning to become very attached to her in such a way that even when she went shopping, he told her to be extremely careful and not talk to strange men she found. One day, he decided he should tell her how he felt, so he approached her slowly.

"Ummm…Leanna? There's something I need to tell you." He said to her and she looked up as he sat next to her on the sofa.

"What is it Tom? Are you gay?" she asked him softly.

"I-I'm in love with you." He said to her, his head bowed slightly.

"So am I Tom." She said and he looked up and into her eyes, in which he clearly saw love. Leanna seemed embarrassed and looked quickly away.

"Don't be embarrassed, Leanna." He said softly, moving closer to her and lifting her chin up gently before kissing her. She seemed rather surprised at first, before going with the flow and she placed her hand gently on his cheek.

When they eventually broke apart, they looked each other in the eyes, blushing slightly, before Leanna laid her head on Voldemort's chest.

Voldemort and Leanna had been going out for several months, before Voldemort had decided to marry her.

So one morning when Leanna was heading from their bedroom to the kitchen to make breakfast, he approached her and dropped to one knee.

"Tom, what –" she began when he pulled a small box out of his pocket, opened it, and showing it to her, he asked her:

"Leanna, I love you more than anything I've ever loved before, and I need to know: will you marry me?"

Leanna looked rather surprised for several seconds before she looked him in the eyes.

"Yes, Tom. I will marry you." She whispered and the pair shared a deep kiss.

Two weeks had passed since Tom had proposed and Leanna caught herself taking a pregnancy test, which seemed to have proven positive. She checked the instructions again, just to make sure, but the results stayed the same. She had fallen pregnant with Tom's child. Suddenly, he appeared over her shoulder, his left hand around her waist.

"What's going on, Leanna?" he asked her. "Are you taking a pregnancy test?" he grinned and Leanna looked into his eyes.

"Tom, I'm pregnant." She said, looking down.

"So why the long face, Leanna?" he asked her, suddenly ending up serious all of a sudden. "I'm assuming it's my child? Or is its father a different man?"

"It's your child, Tom. I'm just not sure how you're going to react to having a child before we're even married."

"Leanna, don't worry about how I'd react. I'm proud to finally be a father. The only time I wouldn't be happy about you being pregnant, is if it's another man's child. Okay? I really am happy for you, and I thought you'd be pleased at becoming a mother."

"I am, Tom, but I just wasn't sure how you would react."

Suddenly, Tom kissed her. She definitely hadn't expected that, but she enjoyed it.

"Does that tell you how I'd be likely to react to you being pregnant?" he asked her after they broke apart.

"Yes." Leanna replied, kissing him briefly, before walking out of the bathroom.


	2. Betrayal or Mistakes

_Chapter 2: Betrayal or Mistakes?_

Little did Tom know that he may not have been a father at all. Although Leanna had fallen pregnant, her child could be that of another man. She may regret making out with that man she'd met and fell in love with the day before she got engaged to Tom.

_Hmmm…maybe I should go to St. Mungo's to check the child's DNA. That way if it's not his child, I'm able to tell him. I don't want to lie to my fiancé; it's just not what I do._ She thought, leaving a note in case Tom wondered where she was, and disapparating from their house and into the foyer of St. Mungo's Hospital.

"Excuse me, I'd like to have a DNA test done on my unborn child, if that's possible?" she asked the witch at the counter and she thought slightly and nodded, pointing her through a door on her left, where she saw another door marked '_tests_'. Leanna walked through the door and saw a nurse, who asked her how she could help.

"Ummm…is it possible to get a DNA test done on an unborn child?" she asked the nurse.

"Yes, as long as it's been at least two days since you found out you were pregnant. Is this child an embryo or a foetus?" the nurse replied.

"An embryo."

"How long ago did you find out you were pregnant?"

"A week ago."

"Okay, I can perform a DNA test on it." The nurse said, leading Leanna into a nearby room, where she was asked to lay down.

"Now we'll need to insert a needle into the embryo and get a small sample of what will soon be its heart, okay?"

"Will it still have a fully developed heart?"

"Yes, it's only a micro sized piece of it, okay?"

"Okay."

The nurse put a special cream on Leanna's stomach and it soon went extremely numb.

"Don't worry, it will only be numb for a short while. It will soon go back to normal." The nurse reassured her and she smiled and relaxed again. The nurse inserted a needle slowly and gently into a particular spot on her stomach, slowly pushing it in.

Eventually she withdrew the needle, saying Leanna could go wait in the foyer so she could tell her the results when she found them out.

When she returned, Leanna was almost falling asleep.

"I have the results." The nurse said and she looked up, fully awake again.

"Who's the father?" she asked softly, with a hint of urgency in her voice again.

"Some guy named Tom Riddle." She said. "Who I thought was Lord Voldemort, but that's beside the point."

"Thank you very much." Leanna said, getting to her feet and leaving the hospital, apparating home.

Once she got home, Tom approached her, obviously not in the best mood.

"Leanna, I need you to sit down. We need to talk." He said and Leanna, deciding it was best not to disobey him in this mood, sat on the couch obediently. "Leanna, a little birdie told that you'd made love to another man, am I correct?" he said to her seriously. Leanna sighed sadly; she'd hoped it wouldn't come to this.

"Yes, but I –" she began, but Tom held up a hand, silencing her.

"I don't want to hear excuses, Leanna. I just want a straight answer as to what happened. When did you do this?"

"Three and a half weeks ago."

"Was it safe, when you did it?"

"No." Leanna said, her head bowed and tears glistening in her eyes.

"So the child could well be this man's, am I correct?" Tom asked her.

"No. that's why I went to the hospital. I went for a DNA test of the child."

"And? What was the verdict?"

Leanna smiled inwardly. She knew Tom was getting hopeful, she could hear it in his voice.

"It's yours. The child's yours." She said finally and her fiancé visibly relaxed.

"Okay, but why did you do it in the first place?" he asked her, inching slowly closer to her.

"That's what I've been trying to explain to you. I'm not completely sure of the reason, but I guess it was because … Tom, I fell in love! You can't condemn me because I fell in love!" she suddenly burst out, surprising him.

"Leanna! Calm down. I'm not condemning you, I'm just asking. Alright? Just tell me calmly." Tom said suddenly, placing one arm around her shoulders to calm her. Eventually her breathing slowed back to normal and he removed his arm from her shoulders. "Now tell me _calmly_ why you did it." He said softly to her, so as not to aggravate her again.

"I fell in love with him and I … I couldn't control my feelings and … it all happened so fast … one minute we were just talking … and next minute … he was making out with me. I barely had time to tell him to stop, that he and I shouldn't have been doing it, when all of a sudden …" Leanna suddenly burst into tears. "Tom, I didn't mean to … but Jack suddenly appeared … and the next thing I knew he was dead. Jack turned to me but I disapparated here." She choked, her tears soaking Tom's shirt as he hugged her.

"S! That's the second time he's tried to kill you in six months! Okay, that's it. I don't want you to go out without my knowledge until I'm positive he's stopped targeting you. Only then can you go out without my knowledge, but preferably only during the day." He said seriously, stroking Leanna's hair.

"Okay Tom. I won't go out without your knowledge. I promise." She said, looking into her fiancé's eyes. He kissed her briefly before standing up.

"I reckon its lunch time." He said, looking at his watch.

"So do I. I'll go and make lunch." She said, walking towards the kitchen.


	3. The Baby Arrives

_Chapter 3: The Baby Arrives_

Tom Riddle, AKA, Lord Voldemort, was asleep in bed when he suddenly heard his fiancé, Leanna, groan loudly. His green eyes snapped open and he turned to her, only to see her awake, her face pale and her dark hair all over her face. Her facial muscles suddenly contracted as she clutched her stomach in pain, a small scream escaping her lips.

"What's wrong Leanna!?" he asked her, startled, his arms around her, however he was already fearing the worst.

"I – I think the baby might be – argh!" she said as another contraction passed. "I think the baby might be coming, Tom." She said, and Tom helped her out of bed and took her on side-along apparition to the wizarding hospital, St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.

There, they were sent to the Maternity Ward, where Leanna was led into a room by a nurse, while Tom was asked to wait outside. He waited, pacing the hallway in anticipation, hearing his fiancé screaming in pain, and at one point, it was all he could do to stop himself bursting into that room and stopping the nurse delivering the child.

_She'll be alright in the nurse's care. Don't go in there until the nurse says you can. She'll be fine. She'll be okay, just stay calm, Tom._ He thought to himself, still pacing the corridor, hoping against hope that Leanna would be alright.

"You may come in and see her now."

The nurse had stuck her head around the door about ten minutes later and Tom walked into the Maternity Room and over to Leanna, who was lying in the bed, cradling a small baby.

"Congratulations darling." He whispered, kissing her gently.

"Tom, we have a baby boy." She whispered excitedly.

"What should we call him then, Leanna?" he asked her softly, looking lovingly at his son.

"I don't know. What do you think we should call him?"

"Hmmm…I like Resonto, but it's up to you Leanna." He said and Leanna smiled at him.

"Resonto isn't a bad name, you know." She replied, looking into her son's eyes before handing him to Tom. He held his son gently in his arms for about ten minutes before the little boy started crying. He handed Resonto back to Leanna who cuddled him tenderly before realising he must be hungry. She gently moved him so he was resting on one arm before using her other arm to slowly lift her breast out of her night gown, and breastfeeding her son. Tom sat on the bed next to her, smiling at the birth of his eldest son.


	4. Disaster

_Chapter 4: Disaster_

Unfortunately Tom's good feeling about his son finally being delivered didn't last. It was about three weeks after Leanna and Resonto had returned home and they were just settling into having a son and it was the night before Christmas when Jack had appeared in their house and picked Resonto out of his crib, but the baby began to cry and that alerted his parents that something wasn't right. Tom and Leanna ran from their bedroom and into their son's room, only to see Jack holding Resonto and pointing his wand at them. Tom whipped out his wand and pointed it at his brother, taking a step towards them.

"Don't you dare touch my son, Jack! You dare hurt him and you will pay with your life!" he told his brother, but Jack just laughed at him, now pointing his wand at the baby boy.

"Try me!" was all he said before: "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Little Resonto let out a wail before laying limp in his uncle's arms.

"No! Resonto, NO!" Tom bellowed leaping forward towards his brother and catching him around the throat. "How dare you kill my son, you ass hole!" he said in a soft, dangerous voice, when Jack punched him hard in the cheek and he let go of his brother and Jack took the opportunity to disapparate. Tom stared in shocked silence at the place his brother had disappeared, not wanting to believe that his only child, his only son, had been killed. "No." he whispered, tears beginning to enter his eyes as he turned to look at his deceased son, picking up his limp form and carrying him gently out of the room, tears now spilling out of his eyes and down his cheeks. Leanna followed after a few seconds, sobbing loudly at the thought that her only son, her first child, was really dead. Neither Tom nor Leanna wanted to believe that their son was really dead. They could not accept it; they didn't want to accept it; it tore at their hearts just knowing they were never going to see him again, never going to hear him cry again.

"It can't be Resonto, it just can't be. It's not possible. He just can't be dead." Leanna whispered to her fiancé, who hugged her with his free arm, keeping their son cradled in his left arm. The little boy just lay there, his usually bright eyes now dull, his skin pale and his body growing cold. They knew that he was dead, that he would never be a part of their lives again, except for a memory. Tom carried his son into the living room and lay him gently on the couch, covering him with a blanket they'd originally bought for him, pulling it over his little head. Before placing the blanket over the little boy's head, Tom kissed his son gently on the forehead, Leanna following suit, both crying right through it. Tom placed the blanket down and he and Leanna walked silently out of the room, tears still streaming down both their faces. They closed the living room door behind them before walking back up the stairs into their bedroom.

"Shhh … I know it's hard to accept Leanna, but he's gone. We can't bring him back." Tom whispered to Leanna, pulling her into a hug in their bedroom, tears starting to choke his voice. He was finding it very difficult to breathe; the grief seemed to be settling on his chest like a huge weight, preventing him from breathing. Leanna buried her already tear-stained face into his chest, and he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

"I can't believe we lost our son, Tom. Why was it him and not me? I'd quite willingly have gone in his place." She said to him, but he shook his head.

"Don't say that, Leanna." He said to her, kissing her gently on the top of the head. "I don't want you to die as much as I didn't want Resonto to die, so please don't think things like that."

"Sorry Tom. I just can't believe we've just lost our only child." She whispered, hugging him really tight.

"I know. It's alright; I know what you're going through, Leanna." He replied, stroking her hair gently. "But anyway, I think we'd better at least try to get some rest. It'll help at least a little bit. We'll hold our own private funeral for him in the morning." He said, walking her over to their bed. "Goodnight darling." He said and she hugged him again which told him she was saying goodnight silently. He kissed her briefly on the lips before laying down in bed and she did the same soon afterwards.

They woke next morning and got out of bed and went straight to the living room, gently picked their son off the couch and carried him outside into the chilly winter air. They dug a hole and gently lay him in it before filling it up and Tom magicked up a small cross which read _'We love and miss you, dear Resonto, our son. Good luck in the afterlife. Born: 26__th__ of November, 1987. Died: 24__th__ of December, 1987.'_

A silent prayer followed, both parents had tears running down their cheeks as they prayed silently. After the silent prayer, both Tom and Leanna hugged each other tightly, both looking at their son's burial place, before parting and walking silently into their house. There was no 'Merry Christmas!' exchanged that day, as both knew quite well that their Christmas was not going to be merry. Instead, it would be grief-filled as they tried to cope with the loss of their son.


	5. Jack Strikes Again

_Chapter 5: Jack Strikes Again_

Leanna had been trying, and failing, to get through the loss of her son for three months now, but she was still struggling to deal with it more than ever. It was now the 19th of February, 1988, and it was obvious that Leanna and Tom would have to postpone their wedding, which was supposed to take place on the 29th of March, to sometime in January next year. Leanna didn't want to have to marry later, but it was the only option, as both were still struggling to deal with Resonto's death.

"Leanna?" came her fiancé's voice softly, tearing her away from her deep thoughts and she looked at him. "Are you okay, Leanna?" Tom asked her, placing his arm around her shoulders.

"I – I'm fine, Tom … I think." She replied, hugging him.

"You were thinking of Resonto again, weren't you?" he asked her gently.

"Yes … I can't help it though. It's just impossible to bear." She said. Tom sighed.

"Think back to when we first met." He said softly. "How you didn't believe me at first about Jack. Then think back to two weeks after we'd met. How has your view changed since two weeks after we'd met?" he asked her.

"Two weeks after we'd met, I was still unsure of whether or not I believed you, and now …" she said, pausing slightly.

"And now here we are, engaged to each other." Tom finished her sentence for her. "How much have you changed since then?" he asked her again.

"I now believe you, and I know for a fact that you're innocent. That's why I'm here engaged to you, instead of out there in the world, in danger of attack from Jack." She replied.

"Exactly." He replied.

"Now how was this supposed to cheer me up, Tom?" she asked him curiously.

"By taking your mind off Resonto." He replied, in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper. "Because we can't bring our son back, and as upset as I am about it, I know that crying isn't going to bring him back. Nothing will. You just need to take your mind off it, Leanna." He said softly.

"I know Tom, but it's easier said than done. It's not easy to forget about things like that." She replied, the grief she felt for her deceased son weighing down on her chest.

"Leanna, I can understand that better than you may think I do, but you still need to try. It's the only way to get over it." He said, hugging her.

Shortly after that, Tom had just fallen asleep, after making sure Leanna was safely asleep. The reason for this was that he somehow knew that Jack was going to try and kill her, if possible. He was not ever going to let Jack even touch her, however he knew his brother. He knew Jack was going to try to kill her if he got the chance.

Suddenly, however, he woke abruptly after hearing a scream. He sat up straight and looked towards his fiancé, but he saw that she was still there, asleep with her back turned to him. Normally he would've gone back to sleep, but this time he couldn't. He somehow knew something wasn't right; he could sense it. Then he was suddenly hit with what wasn't right. Leanna wasn't breathing. He could tell because he couldn't see her shoulders rising and falling with each breath she took. He turned her over and the first thing he saw was blood. That was when he noticed the knife.

"No." he whispered, grabbing his wand and slowly and gently pulling the knife from her chest. As he did so, he kept the tip of his wand touching the skin on her chest. The skin began to heal around the knife blade as he removed it. Finally, when the knife was removed from the centre of her chest, the skin had healed with the removal of it. Magically making the knife disappear, he checked her pulse. He sighed when he found it, and checked her breathing. Although her heart was beating, she wasn't breathing.

_This scene looks familiar … her near death and me keeping an eye over her. But at least she's not dead. Jack failed to kill her once again._ He thought to himself, gently kissing her lips before pulling the blanket up to her neck and gently moving her head so it was lying on his lap.

_But should I put her on her side or keep her on her back?_ He asked himself, gently stroking her hair back from her forehead.

_Keep her on her back. It'll make sure you're able to keep an eye on her in case she revives._ His conscience answered his question for him. Lifting her head and shoulders slightly, he moved across so he was sitting where he would be able to have her head on his lap, but so her neck wasn't twisted in any way.


	6. Eventual Revival

_Chapter 6: Eventual Revival_

Tom had been making sure that Leanna was still alive for over two months now, and he didn't sleep throughout that time. But, although he didn't want to move from his place, he knew he still had to eat. So instead of moving, he grabbed his wand and created food that he could eat.

Eventually, after two months of waiting, he noticed that she'd finally started moving. Eventually, she opened her eyes, taking a deep breath. She looked at Tom, obviously curious at his concerned expression.

"T-Tom?" she asked him softly.

"Yes dear?" he whispered, kissing her forehead gently.

"How long was I out for?" she asked.

"Two months." He said.

"And you stayed in that same spot for the whole time that I was unconscious?"

"Yes. I couldn't go any further than two centimetres away from you in case you'd died."

"Didn't you eat for two whole months!?" she asked him incredulously. He smiled, trying to swallow his laughter.

"Don't worry Leanna, I did eat. I created food for myself." He said.

"Then why are you looking so skeletal?" she asked.

"I only ever created enough to keep myself alive, not to fill myself up." He said. "But I never slept through the two months." He yawned, only then realising how tired he was.

"Such loyalty, that you practically kill yourself to keep an eye on me." She said, smiling slightly.

"Don't worry about me. Just worry about yourself. Now, are you hungry or something? Because you need something, I can tell." He asked her softly. She thought for a second.

"Ummm … actually, now I think about it, I am a bit hungry." She said and he smiled, kissed her briefly and got up, after she moved her head from his lap.

"I'll be right back. Let me know if anything happens." He said, and she nodded. Tom smiled as he walked out of the room.

In the kitchen, Tom worked on making a meal for himself and Leanna, and eventually he served it on two plates and walked back into the bedroom.

"Leanna?" he asked and she slowly sat up in bed. "Here you go." He said, handing her the plate and sitting on his side of the bed. "Now, I need to talk to you about something." He said softly to her.

"What is it, Tom?" she asked him.

"Leanna, I need to know what happened that night two months ago." He said to her. Leanna sighed as she began talking.

"I was asleep, but I heard something and woke up, and that was when Jack stood up and stabbed me. I managed to scream to alert you, but I'd lost consciousness soon afterwards." She said softly and Tom swore under his breath.

"Okay. Thank you Leanna for letting me know." He said, kissing her as they started eating.


	7. Another Baby

_Chapter 7: Another Baby?_

"Tom, I need to tell you something important." Leanna's voice seemed so far away. If Resonto were still alive, today would have been his birthday. Tom was still struggling to think that his only son, his only flesh and blood, had been killed by his brother. "Tom, are you listening to me?" Leanna asked him, placing her hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his mournful daze.

"Sorry dear, you said something?" he said and she sighed.

"Tom, were you thinking about Resonto again?" she asked him sternly.

"Yes, but I can't help it. He was our only child." He replied, sighing deeply.

"Tom I really have to tell you something. I'm pregnant, Tom." She said and Tom immediately came back to reality at her words.

"What do you mean you're pregnant?" he asked her.

"In other words Tom, I'm going to have your baby." She said and he hugged her tightly.

"Wait, there was definitely no other man this time?" he asked her and she sighed, shaking her head slowly.

"No, of course not. I haven't even been outside the house without you in the past year, so how could there be another man?" she said, smiling at him, and he kissed her.

"Sorry, I just had to make sure." he said, sighing even deeper this time.

"You seem so distracted, Tom. Are you okay?" she asked him, laying her head on his chest.

"Of course I'm not okay Leanna! My only son – today was supposed to be his first birthday, but Jack got to him before he could even get to a month old! How can I be okay if I'm still mourning my own flesh and blood!?" he burst out and Leanna flinched, walking backwards into the wall in fear.

_Tom, what are you doing!? Just because you've lost your son, it doesn't give you an excuse to take it out on your fiancée! She knows what you're going through; she gave birth to him, so you need to keep your head!_ His conscience had awoken inside his head again and he knew it was right. Sighing, he walked slowly towards his fiancée, pulling her into a hug, kissing the top of her head gently.

"I'm sorry Leanna. I really didn't mean to hurt your feelings or you either. The grief of losing my only child – it just took over. I'm so sorry I burst out like that." He whispered, tears leaking out of his eyes and down his cheeks as he thought of his son. Without saying a word, Leanna hugged him tighter, and it was obvious she was sobbing into his chest. "And congratulations on the new baby, by the way." He added in a whisper, kissing her forehead gently.

"Thank you Tom." She whispered, kissing his lips softly and timidly, as though worried he would pull away. If that was what she thought, she was severely mistaken. Instead of pulling away, he pulled her even closer to him (if that's even possible!) and continued the kiss, turning it from highly timid to very deep.

Nine months later, Leanna went into labour and Tom immediately took her to St. Mungo's to give birth. This time in the waiting room, he wasn't so eager to burst into the maternity room and stop the delivery; instead he couldn't wait to see his newborn child. When the nurse poked her head around the door, he immediately stood up.

"You may come and see her now." She said and Tom entered the room, walking towards his new wife, who was cradling a small baby that was wrapped in a pale pink blanket. "Congratulations guys, you have a little girl." the nurse said and Tom kissed his wife's forehead.

"Congratulations Leanna. What do you reckon we should call her?" he asked her softly, looking lovingly at his daughter.

"What do you think about calling her Tanika?" Leanna suggested, but he shook his head.

"No, I actually think it'll be better if we call her Lara. What do you say Leanna?" he said and Leanna looked thoughtful.

"Actually, now I think about it, Lara suits her." She said, handing the baby girl to Tom, who cradled her gently.

"And she does look a lot like you." He said, kissing her then kissing his daughter's forehead.

"Okay, whatever. We'll call her Lara." She said softly. Tom kissed her again, sitting next to her and looking at his daughter.


End file.
